


taste my soul (feel my love)

by Fierysky



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AOS Rarepair Fic Exchange 2018, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Universe, F/M, Food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-06 03:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16824592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fierysky/pseuds/Fierysky
Summary: Soulmates Trip and Skye get a craving for the food that the other is eating.





	taste my soul (feel my love)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agentmmayy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentmmayy/gifts).



> For the AoS Rare Pair Fic Exchange 2018!

Skye trailed her fingers along the dresser of her bunk, giddy with happiness. Sure, she’d been in bathrooms bigger than this tiny space, and come to think of it, what _was_ the bathroom sharing situation on the Bus?

“My new home,” she breathed, flopping on the bed, the beige cotton sheets and the hard mattress was the most luxurious thing she’d slept on all year. The adrenaline from the last few days was wearing off, and she finally believed that she could stay with SHIELD, and she'd be closer to finding her parents. 

Suddenly her stomach growled and a sharp hunger pang seized her, unlike anything she’d felt before. Not even like the time in middle school she’d gone days without eating because there was no food and she’d been too scared to tell anyone.

She’d been sent back to St. Agnes anyway.

But Skye wasn’t thinking about the painful trip back to the orphanage right now. Her mouth watered at the thought of a tangy homemade balsamic dressing, fragrant with garlic and Dijon mustard, sprinkled on a freshly made salad. 

“Everything organic, too.” Skye groaned closing her eyes. She could feel the crunch of fresh cucumbers and sweet peppers, with spicy arugula and spinach, and the sweetest cherry tomatoes, a burst of sunshine on her tongue.

She rolled out of her bunk and stumbled out to the kitchens in her fuzzy socks to get one of the prepackaged salads. It wasn’t as good as what she craved but she hungrily devoured one and was furiously tearing into another when Fitz and Jemma walked in, attached to the hip as always.

“Hullo, Skye!" Jemma beamed, her shiny brown hair bouncing as she went to wash her hands. "I thought you didn’t like salads?” 

Skye blinked.

“Leave her be, Jemma.” Fitz’s cheeks flushed as he looked at Skye. “I - we’re about to make tea." He ran his hand through his curls. " Would you like some?”

“No thanks.” Skye gave a quick smile. ‘I hate tea. As much as I hate salads, actually.” She frowned at the cold, rectangular container in her hand, the clear plastic lid showing listless romaine lettuce and exactly three croutons with two cherry tomatoes. “I just got a weird craving.” Her frown deepened as a thought crossed her mind. It couldn't be her soulmate, could it? She needed to get back to her room to do some research. “Um, do either of you want this?”

Fitz and Jemma exchanged identical glances then shook their heads in tandem.

“Figured. I’m headed to bed.” Skye didn't want to dump the salad and waste food, so she grabbed it along with a bottle of water and waved goodbye. “See you when we land.” And she scurried out, knowing that Fitz-Simmons didn't need her around to do their science-based mating dance. 

“What I'd give for Starbucks right now,” she sighed as she entered her room. She smiled softly to herself, looking around again, wondering if there really was someone out there, just for _her._

_It might be a coincidence,_ she thought. She'd better stick to finding her parents, that'd be safer than hoping for a soulmate. 

Tomorrow she’d get the biggest latte _ever_ to celebrate her new home, but for the rest of the night, she still looked up soul mate traditions.

* * *

“You want a _what_?”

“I gotta have Starbucks!” Antoine Triplett, known as Trip to his friends, raised his hands defensively. “I've had a craving since this morning. It won't go away.” His normally smiling face was serious. “I think-- I think it's the one.”

John Garrett's eyes narrowed. If this soulmate claptrap ruined his mission to apprehend Ian Quinn he was gonna go ballistic. There wasn’t a scientific explanation to it yet, but the majority of people born in April and May craved the food their soul mate would eat, and conversely, their mates would do the same. 

“You listen closely, Agent.” Garrett jabbed Trip's chest, deciding to test him. “I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo and I swear to God, if you make me look bad in front of Coulson-”

“When have I ever let you down, Sir?” Trip’s mouth pulled in a flat line as he stared down Garrett, his eyes ice cold.

 _Damn, the kid must be right_ , Garrett mused. Being a legacy, Trip was hazed the worst when he joined the team, but he always had a smile on his face.

“Fine. We can detour to Starbucks. But none of that sugared half-caf decaf smelling like cotton candy crap. Back in my day, men didn't drink these-”

Trip listened politely, and later, when he made a run to the nearest Starbucks, he ordered a venti soy iced caramel latte with an extra shot of espresso under a mountain of whipped cream.

* * *

_I gotta forget about having a soulmate,_ Skye thought as she curled her hair into soft waves. _Focus on what's in front of me_. She was getting used to Agent May and damn, Skye wanted to her impress her. Coulson too. She had no origin, no destiny, but they _believed_ in her, and she couldn't let them down. 

Just then her mouth suddenly watered. Her soulmate was probably having dinner because she could practically taste a juicy, seasoned rib-eye steak, medium rare, with vibrant, crisp vegetables grilled to perfection. 

"Oh my god, really?" Skye griped as she uncapped her mascara wand. “At least they don't have me craving carbs.” Her eyed widened. “Maybe my soulmate’s a _chef?_ ”

She grinned at the possibility, thinking of all the good food and with a spring in her step, she picked out a cheerful pink dress with gold accessories to go with her mood. 

Ian Quinn wouldn’t know what hit him.

* * *

Trip’s grandfather was a Howling Commando who believed in the old ways and when little Trip sat on his Pop Pop's knee, he'd been regaled him with stories about soulmates. 

_Be patient,_ his Pop Pop told him. _They could be a male or a female, but your soulmate will come._

So when Trip went through his teenage years without finding his other half he didn't worry _too_ much and when couples started pairing up in the Academy, he ignored the pangs of loneliness and cultivated the image of being fun-loving and easy going. 

Maybe it was the best with his line of work?

But now, as he trudged to the gym wanting cool champagne, he felt giddy as if he were the one drinking. It was _real_ , his soulmate, he just had to find them. 

"What are you doing, babe?" he grinned, as he started the treadmill. They were out there, living it up without him, but it made him happy. He'd hate to think they would be sad or having a rough life. 

He did his routine hour-long workout, and while he was in the sauna, the craving for black coffee assailed him, unlike the fancy Starbucks drink from before.

Maybe his soulmate was sobering up, or she was feeling cold.

"Can't wait to meet you," Trip smiled as he entered the shower. "I'll protect you always."

* * *

“If I never see Ian Quin, it’ll be too soon.” Skye’s teeth chattered in the cold air condition. She and her pink dress were soaked through, and she was slowly turning into an icicle. She hastily welcomed a cup of black coffee from Ward and drank it before running to her room to shower.

“What a day,” she mumbled, as she shampooed her hair, failure weighing on her. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this." Quinn was right, she wasn’t a killer, but who was she?

“I don’t know who I am,” she sighed, eyes downcast watching the suds swirl around the drain. "I'm a mess."

She sniffled as the water continued to beat down on her. She would be such a disappointment to her soulmate. 

* * *

**_Weeks later_ **

“Remember Triplett,” Garrett warned. “We get in. We get Quinn. We get out." From Malta to Berlin to Morocco, Ian Quin had evaded them, but then Coulson’s team captured him. “You’ve been acting strange with all this soulmate crap and-”

“I won’t disappoint you, sir,” Trip said, interrupting him. The cravings had from his soulmate had stopped since yesterday and he wasn’t sure why, but he needed to put it aside and show Garrett and everyone else that he was the real deal. That he wasn't just in SHIELD because he was a legacy.

But as he entered the Bus, a shiver went up his spine, and when he met Agent Coulson, every pore rose and when he finally saw Skye laying on the bed, lifeless because of gunshot wounds, time stopped and he knew.

This was his soulmate, he was right at home. 

"She's a fighter," he whispered, his throat closing up at her pale face and the beeping machines. "She'll pull through." She _had_ too.

He pulled up a chair and didn't leave her side, and no one could pull him from her side.

* * *

**_The next day_ **

"We need to get Dumplings. From scratch." Trip was hunched over on a chair at Skye's bedside and didn't bother looking up. He knew Jemma and Fitz by their footsteps. "Hot pot?" He frowned, tilting his head. "And a blue raspberry slushie."

"I-," Jemma faltered and looked to Fitz. "I'm not sure-"

"She's dreaming about eating, I think? Cause I'm craving it?" A bright smile dawned on his face. "She's gonna be hungry as hell when she wakes up, then mad when she can't eat what she wants."

Trip leaned over and held Skye's hand but then dropped it. He and Skye had never met, and he probably shouldn't be even touching her but he needed the reassurance she'd be all right. 

"The hot pot might be bad on her stomach," Trip stretched, and both Jemma and Fitz were momentarily distracted by his shoulders. "Maybe a bone broth?"

"Are you a chef?" Jemma scrunched her nose, confused. "I thought you were an Agent. On John Garrett's team."

Trip smiled lazily, meeting Jemma's eyes and then Fitz's. He could tell then that he was level Six with Shield, a trained medic, and a pilot, but that wasn't important. Not in the grand scheme of things. 

"I'm Skye's soulmate." 

Jemma and Fitz's mouth dropped. 

"But I don't want to shock her with the news. Help me get the food?"

* * *

Skye groaned as she tried moving, her body throbbing and head pounding. What happened? She'd barely raised herself up when the memory of being shot by Ian Quinn resurfaced, and she collapsed as all the events flooded her mind.  
  
"Take it easy, girl. We got you."  
  
She started and turned towards the sound. It was a deep voice, friendly in tone and against her better judgment, she immediately felt comforted. It was a man, and with her vision still swimming, the first thing she noticed was a radiant smile and then merry eyes tracking her every movement. She gasped when she saw his outstretched hand.

"What-? Your hand-!"

The tips of the stranger's fingers were cast in a soft golden glow, just like she'd seen in her research, a confirmation of the cravings she’d been getting.

“My Pop Pop didn’t tell me about this,” he said apologetically, as he reached out and picked up her hand. The air crackled as healing energy flowed from his fingertips to hers. “My name's Trip. Sorry to barge in on you like this.”

“I’m Skye.” Her eyes fluttered shut as warm energy coursed through her, pooling where she'd been shot in her stomach. "And we're-"

"Soulmates." They finished the sentence together as they held hands, not know what the days or hours or even minutes would bring, but enjoying the relief of finding their other half.

* * *

Forget the shining light, and that she felt brand new after her and Trip's hands touched. The fact that he'd ordered a spread of food for her that was exactly what she'd been dreaming about? They were definitely soulmates.

"So, you like coffee?" Trip opened a bottle of water for her.

Skye sipped it daintily at first, then chugged it down because her throat was parched. She slammed the empty bottle on the tiny side table, then wiped her mouth and grinned. "So, salads and veggies, huh?" She reached for a container of steamed dumplings. "No junk food?" She swiped her hair back from her face, then got down to the important business of eating. 

"Junk food is only when I'm on vacation," Trip shrugged, his muscled rippling under this cotton t-shirt. 

"I can see that," Skye smirked. Nothing like a brush with death and then rejuvenating food to appreciate the smoking hot body in front of her but then the joy on Trip's face as he realized she was checking him out was palpable, and Skye grew serious.

"I wish I could bottle this feeling," she murmured. "Of like, happiness. And belonging." Tears welled in her eyes, and she hastily blinked them back. It _had_ to last, right?

"Look at me," Trip reached over and brushed her tears away. "All this is new to me, but I promise you, I'm staying here, and no matter what, I have _your_ back. Okay? Soulmate or not."

"Okay," Skye dipped her head, suddenly feeling foolish. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"No need to apologize, girl." Trip suddenly laughed, the sound happy and bright. "I'm sure finding out your soulmate is fine as hell is a lot to take in."

Skye threw her head back and laughed, and that's how Fitz-Simmons found them: eating, laughing and making each other happy. 

And for the rest of their lives, they would continue to do just that.

**FIN**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
